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Daily Business Report-Sept. 16, 2013

Ideas Needed for Old Library

With the new San Diego Central Library scheduled to open on Sept. 28, the city isn’t forgetting about the old central library building. “As soon as we open up that new facility, I want to make sure we have a plan in place for the old facility, and make sure that we put it back into a useful life for the citizens, the taxpayers, and of course the residents of Downtown,” said Interim Mayor Todd Gloria at a media briefing last week. Gloria said he’s asked Civic San Diego to collect ideas for what to do with the old 150,000-square-foot building on E Street. The nonprofit corporation will look into a process for soliciting bids, he said. The idea would be to find a way to reuse the old building now that the library has moved. Gloria’s spokeswoman said details and a timeline for the request for proposals will be released in three or four weeks.

Recall Campaign Announces Final Signature Tally

More than $90,000 was raised during the Recall Bob Filner Campaign, and about $50,000 was spent, campaign officials announced, City News Service reports. Donors who receive refunds will have until the end of the month to cash their checks, and sometime after that, the committee will officially close and a final accounting will be made public, officials said. Volunteers with the campaign gathered 37,517 signatures between Aug. 18 and Aug. 23, when Filner agreed to step down after nearl 20 women brought forth accusations of sexual harassment. He was also under investigation for allegedly misusing a city-issued credit card and shaking down developers. Filner’s resignation took effect Aug. 30. The final tally was more than a third of the signatures needed to qualify the recall for the ballot.

Cell Phones to Play Key Role in County Emergencies

San Diego County officials are set to announce plans today to use a new federal emergency alert system to reach people on their cell phones during emergencies, such as a wildfire, KPBS reports. The County Office of Emergency Services and the Sheriff’s Department recently gained access to the Wireless Emergency Alert, overseen by FEMA and major wireless carriers. “It’s critical that people understand the system so they can respond appropriately to protect themselves when they receive an alert on their phones,” officials stated in a news release. In August, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children used the system to issue an Amber Alert for siblings Ethan and Hannah Anderson. Hundreds of thousands of cellphone users across California received text messages and high-pitched alarms asking for the public’s help to find the missing children.

Documentary Seeks to Inspire Next-Generation of Business Leaders

“We the Owners,” a documentary produced by MIT alumna Mary Ann Beyster, is exploring the role of employee-ownership in business. Director David Romero explains that they set out to create a film that will educate and inspire the next generation of business leaders, educators and students about the “art of the possible” in business through highly inclusive employee participation. The film has been selected to be part of the San Diego Film Festival and will be shown on Sunday, Oct. 6, at Arclight Cinemas La Jolla at 3 p.m.

WBT Innovation Marketplace Set for Oct. 22-23

Northrop Grumman Corp. has signed on as the title sponsor of the WBT Innovation Marketplace, a two-day conference that helps startups, universities and federal labs commercialize seed and early stage emerging technologies. WBT (World’s Best Technologies) Innovation Marketplace will take place Oct. 22-23 at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina in San Diego. The conference brings together vetted and mentored companies and technologies originating from top universities, labs, research institutions and the private sector. One in three WBT presenters goes on to license, secure venture funding, or sell their intellectual property outright, according to the company. WBT 2013 is co-hosted by Connect and the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corp.

Jacob Tyler Creative Opens Washington, D.C.-Area Office

Jacob Tyler Creative Group of San Diego announced the opening of its Washington D.C.-area office with the acquisition of Chinn Creative, a brand and design agency. Michael Chinn, Chinn Creative founder, assumed the role of managing director. His past experience includes work with CapitalOne, Discovery Communications, Easton Sports, ESPN, Habitat for Humanity, National Geographic, NASA and NPR. Jacob Tyler’s new East Coast office is currently located in Laurel, Md., and is expected to move into N.W. Washington D.C. in early 2014.

Legoland Water Park to Expand

CARLSBAD — Legoland California announced a three-acre expansion of its water park in Carlsbad, which will be ready in time for next summer, City News Service reports. The “Legends of Chima” Water Park will be the latest attraction at the ever-growing theme park, where a 250-room hotel opened in April. The expanded area will have a theme based on “Legends of Chima,” a Lego product line and Cartoon Network television show that features tribes of animal warriors.

Children will be able to ride a water slide that comes out of a giant crocodile’s mouth, build their own Lego boats, play with water cannons, and enjoy a wave pool. Legoland has also hitched its wagon to the “Star Wars’” movie and television franchise, offering several exhibits based on its characters and spaceships. The world’s largest Lego model is at the park — a Star Wars X-Wing fighter that’s 43 feet long, 11 feet tall, weighs almost 46,000 pounds and includes around 5 million Lego bricks. Park officials said it took 32 model builders about 17,000 hours to complete.

Walden Family Services Seeking Sponsor for Wine D’Vine Fundraiser

Walden Family Services is seeking sponsors for its major fundraising event, Wine D’Vine, to be held Wednesday, Oct. 30, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Grand Del Mar, 5300 Grand Del Mar Court, San Diego. Sponsorships range from $1,250 to $15,000. The event will feature wine from California’s leading vineyards paired with San Diego’s top culinary masters. Walden Family Services provides foster care and adoption services for children and families throughout Southern California. It helps children who are neglected and abused, including those who are medically fragile, have developmental disabilities and behavioral or mental health challenges. For more information about the fundraising event, visit www.waldenfamily.org/wine-dvine1.

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Voice Your Opinion

We Want Your Opinions on San Diego’s Big Issues
In the coming months, Probosky Research (one of California’s leading opinion research firms) will continue its partnership with SD METRO to survey San Diego residents about topics of interest to our readers. We’d like to throw open the door for suggestions for topics. What do you want to know? What do you think you know, but aren’t sure? What are you certain you know, but want to prove it beyond doubt? Ideally, we’d like to see questions that have to do with public policy.
Some areas may include Mayor Filner’s first 100 days job performance, should the city be responsible for economic growth and the creation of new jobs, how important are infrastructure improvements to our daily lives (streets and bridges, etc.), how important is water independence, how satisfied are residents with public transit or how do city residents value Balboa Park and other open spaces? Do you believe the City Council should revive the Plaza de Panama plan for Balboa Park?
You can email Probolsky Research directly with your ideas: info@probolskyresearch.com